Apparatus for elevating and conveying invalids.



P. GASHMAN.

APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING AND CONVEYING INVALIDS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1913.

1 ,O98,477, Patented June 2, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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cnLumulA PLANOGRAFH CD.,WASHINC|TON. D. C

P. GASHMAN.

APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING AND CONVEYING INVALIDS. APPLICATION FILED APR.11, 1913. 1,098,477; Patented June 2, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR W 0 A Home COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.,wAsmNGTb NNNN c.

PATRIGK UASHMAN, 01F HUUSTONIA, MISSOURI.

APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING' AND CONVEYING lNVl'iL-IDS.

resents,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Application filed April 11, 1913. Serial No. 60,408.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PATRICK CAsHMAN, citizenoil the United States, residing at lt-loustonia, in the county of Pettisand State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful improvementsin Apparatus for Elevating and Conveying lnvalids, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for use in hospitals, sick roomsand other like places wherein it is desired that invalids should belifted or conveyed from place to place.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a cheap, simple andconvenient apparatus for lifting a sick or wounded person from oil abed, and conveying him to another part of the room, or to an operatingroom in a hospital, without the slightest exertion or fatigue on thepart of the pa tient.

A further object oi my invention contemplate the provision of suitablemeans for regulating or adjusting the stretcher upon which the invalidis supported, thereby supporting the invalid in a manner leastinjurious.

it still further object oi: the invention resides in the provision ofsuitable mechanism for controlling: the rotation of a drum or spoolemployed in connection with the in vention.

To accomplish the above I provide a stretcher or sling, preferablycomposed of bed clothes or other suitable material of sutfieientstrength to support the invalid. After forming the stretcher with theinvalid resting thereupon, the said stretcher is elevated by theoperation of the drum or spool above mentioned and moved from place toplace by operating or otherwise imparting movement to the saidstretcher. Means is also provided for adjusting the stretcher as desiredfor either elevating or lowering" one end of the stretcher as is bestadapted for the patients welfare,

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as areillustrated in their preferred embodiment in the aecompanyinp; drawings,described in the following' specification and then more particularlypointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part ofthis ap plication.

in describing my invention in detail reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding; parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1is a side elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2 is an end view, with the supporting bar and stretcherbroken away; Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the supporting pulley: Fig.i is a sectional view of the stretcher; Fig 5 is an elevation, partsbeing shown in section oi the stretcher adjusting mechanism; and Fig. 6is a detail perspective view of the clamping bar.

Proceeding now to the detail description of the drawings, wherein isillustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention the numeral 1designates a pair of uprights or standards, disposed in spaced relationfor siu portinp; and elevating therebetween a suitable truck orsupporting bar 2, the said bar being detachably connected to thestandards 1 by means or depending shank portions 3 fitting; within arecess 4i formed upon the upper extremity of a suitable connecting bar5, the latter being supported vertically upon the standards 1 by meansof unions 6. The said standards or uprights 1 are preferably of aninverted tl-shape, the

extremities of which have formed integrally therewith or secured theretosuitable base portions 7 upon which the entire supporting frame orapparatus is mounted.

A horizontally extending shaft 7 is journaled within. suitable bracketsE3 secured to one of the uprights 1, the said shaft extending from oneto the other of the extensions thereof and having keyed or otherwisesecured thereto a spool or drum 9, the can tremities oi the said drumhaving ratchet teeth 10 formed intepurally therewith. the teeth of oneratchet 10 being; arranged for cooperation with a suitable pawl, to behereinafter fully described, upon the turning of the drum in onedirection, while the teeth of the other of the said ratchet are disposedoppositely or to cooperate with a suitable pawl upon the rotation ofsaid drum in a reverse direction.

A suitable supporting traveling wheel 11 is arranged upon the supportingbar 2 of the apparatus frame and has depending there from a doublepulley 12 the latter being con nected to the supporting pulley 11through the medium oi a hook 153. A. i. ope or cord 14 of the desiredstrength has one end secured to the drum 9, the other end eutending asis shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings to the pulley 12, over which itpasses and depends to a second pulley 15. From the pulley 15 the ropeextends upwardly and again passes over the pulley 12, and again dependsto a point 16 where it is secured to the pulley 15, this arrangementallowing the said pulley 15 to be raised and lowered by the operation ofthe drum 9 accomplished by turning a handle 17 formed upon one end ofthe drum shaft 7. A hook 18 depends from the pulley 15 for the purposeof supporting a yoke 19, the latter forming bearings for a transverselyextending shaft 20 having a handle 21 formed upon one end thereof forrotating the said shaft as desired. A second drum 22 is loosely mountedupon the shaft 20 between the arms of the yoke 19, the extremities ofthe said drum being flanged to form plates 23 for locking the drumagainst rotation when desired. The said plates 23 are provided with aplurality of uniformly spaced apart apertures 2 1 through which a pin 25is inserted, the said pin extending through the yoke-arms for lockingthe plates and the drum against rotation. Ropes 26 are secured to thedrum 22 and extend from each side thereof to a point 27 where they aresecured to suitable hooks supported by a stretcher frame 28, the latterhaving a pair of horizontally extending parallel grooved members 29formed upon the edges thereof. By the provision of the grooved members29, it will be seen that the bed material upon which the invalid isresting may be secured or locked within the stretcher frame by theinsertion of clamping bars 30 within the said grooves when the bedclothes or other material is placed over the said groove members 29.

Should the stretcher, after the invalid is placed thereupon be supportedat an angle or upon an incline, the same may be quickly and easilyrighted by the operation of the crank handle 21 of the shaft 20. Byturning the shaft 20 in either direction, one end of the stretcher frameis elevated, while the opposite end of the said frame is simultaneouslylowered, whereupon the said frame, when properly adjusted is locked insuch adjustable position by the insertion of the pins 25 through theplates and yoke 23 and 19 respectively. After placing the invalid uponthe stretcher as above described, the latter may be elevated by therotation of the drum 9 accomplished through the medium of the handle 17formed upon one end of the drum shaft. When elevated to the desiredheight, a further rotation or unwinding of the drum is prevented bymeans of a pair of pivoted pawls 31 mounted upon a bar 32 supported bythe standard 1 directly above the drum shaft 7. By swinging one of thepawls 31 until the end thereof engages the ratchetteeth 10 of the drum 9it will be seen that rotation of the said drum in one direction isprevented, while rotation of the drum in the opposite direction isprevented by the engagement between the other pawl 31 engaging theoppositely disposed teeth above mentioned. Should it be desired that butone of the pawls engage the teeth 10, suitable catch mechanism 33 isarranged upon the cross arm of the upright 1 for suppor ing the saidpawl out of engagement with the said teeth.

It will be seen from the above, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings that the operation of the apparatus is extremelysimple; that an invalid may be elevated and conveyed from place to placewithout any exertion whatsoever on his or her part; and that thestretcher frame may be tilted for placing the invalid in a chair orother support provided for the invalid.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention,illustrated in the drawings, and referred to in the above description,as the preferred embodiment, is the most efiicient and practical; yetrealizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my devicewill necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minorchanges in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement ofparts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of theadvantages of or departing from the spirit of my invention, as definedin the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device for lifting and conveying invalids including a supportingframe comprising a pair of inverted U-shaped standards, a supporting barfor connecting the said standards, the said bar being detachablyconnected thereto, a stretcher suspended from said supporting bar andslidable throughout the length: thereof, a drum mounted upon one of thestandards at one end of the frame, means including a plurality of ropesand pulleys connecting the said drum to the said stretcher for raisingand lowering the latter according to the rotation of the drum, and apair of pivoted pawls carried by one of the said standards adapted toengage teeth formed within the drum ends for controlling the rotationthereof.

2. In combination with a device for conveying and lifting invalids, astretcher comprising a pair of parallel longitudinally grooved stretcherbars, a removable strip adapted to be arranged within the said groove tofasten the article to be conveyed to the stretcher, a drum dis osedabove the said stretcher, independent exible elements connecting thesaid drum with the respective ends of the stretcher, the rotation of thedrum adapted to swing the said stretcher at an angle to its normalhorizontal position, and means for locking the said drum in the desiredposition, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with a suitable stretcher support, a stretcher movablevertically with respect thereto, a drum carried by the said stretcher,perforate plate members formed integrally with the said drum at therespective ends thereof, independent flexible elements connecting thesaid drum with the respective ends of the stretcher, and means disposedfor engagement with the said perforations of the drum plate for lockingthe said drum against rotation, as and for the purpose set forth.

4;. In combination with a suitable support, a vertically movablestretcher carried thereby, a drum shaft carried by the said support,ratchet teeth formed upon the respective ends of the drum, the ratchetteeth upon one end of the drum being disposed oppositely to the ratchetteeth upon the other end thereof, pivoted pawls depending from the saidsupport, one for engagement with each of the said ratchets, meanscarried by the said support for maintaining the said pawls out ofengagement with the said ratchet, and means connecting the said drumwith the said stretcher for raising and lowering the latter with respectto the support, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PATRICK CASHIJAN. Witnesses:

ARTHUR BENDER, FRANK A. SQUIRES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents, I

Washington, 70. G.

